Mrs. Doxsey

     I am one of the Occupational Therapists working with students at Evamere and Ellsworth Hill.  An Occupational Therapist works in the school environment to help students who have difficulty in handwriting, self-care skills and/or sensory processing.  I have been an Occupational Therapist for 15 years and recently received my Master's in Education. 

     Many different factors influence handwriting;  visual-motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, motor coordination, hand strength, upper extremity strength, pencil grasp and positioning during handwriting can all influence handwriting legibility. Sometimes there is an easy fix, such as instructing a child in the proper way to position himself during writing or providing him with a pencil grip to correct his grasp pattern.  Other times, students need direct intervention to address their difficulties. 

      I use the Handwriting Without Tears program as an intervention to help students integrate proper letter formation into their daily writing activities.   This program is developmentally based and uses a multi-sensory approach to handwriting instruction.   Please use the link to the left if you would like to learn more about this program.

     I utilize the Alert Program (How Does Your Engine Run?) to help educate students on how their level of alertness affects their attention as well as their ability to learn.  This program teaches children to identify their alertness level using an analogy to an engine; engines can be "high", "low" or "just right."  Students first work to identify engine levels by looking at pictures of people at different levels of alertness.  Next, they learn to identify their own engine levels.  Finally, students learn to pick out activities that will return their engine levels to "just right."  If you have further questions about this program, please use the link to the left labeled "Alert Program."

     If you would like some additional activites at home to follow through in the home environment, please feel free to try the websites listed on  the left hand side of this page. If you need more specific information or have questions, please contact me at the phone number or email address listed below!   

Lauri Doxsey, OTR/L, MED

Occuaptional Therapist

Evamer and Ellsworth Hill

330-656-1226 ext. 4088

doxseyl@hudson.edu